In two weeks MTWorks will be producing the world premiere of David Stallings’ DARK WATER, directed by one of my favorite directors, Heather Cohn.  DARK WATER is about the ramifications of the Gulf oil spill, which began on April 20, 2010 and caused extensive damage to wildlife and marine habitats.  Although the accidental marine oil spill was eventually capped by mid September of that same year, detrimental ramifications continue to exist along the shoreline of Louisiana and as far as the Florida panhandle.

Stallings’ DARK WATER uses poetry, allegory, music, puppetry and movement to create this magical world as the animals of Louisiana face the ultimate threat to their lives. Diánna Martin plays Barnacle, an old sea turtle, who is fighting against man’s destruction, nature’s wrath, and her enemies of the wild to save her children trapped in the spill.  We were thrilled to be able to chat with her about DARK WATER.  Read on as she tells us about the challenges of transforming into a turtle, the ways this play takes her out of her comfort zone, and the ways in which preparing to play Barnacle affected her.

Diánna Martin, you’re currently preparing for your lead role in David Stallings’ DARK WATER, a contemporary fable about the Louisiana oil spill. Tell me a little about the play.

DM: Dark Water is a beautiful tale about a mother trying to save her children during one of the darkest times in our history on an environmental scale (and basically, in my opinion, on any scale). In the play, the oil has spilled, it’s headed toward all the marine life in the area as well as the land, and I am trying to get my children to safety. Barnacle encounters all different types of people (animals) as she tries to make her way to her kids, some of whom are not very nice. It brings together a myriad of characters that we may recognize for whom they represent but their story is unique.

We discover things about the spill as well as these characters, while showing the day in the life of what it must have been to try to live through this. Empathy is one of the greatest gifts we have been given as a species, if we care to use it, in my opinion, and it is my belief that this production engages the audience in a way that will provoke discussion and indeed empathy for creatures whose desires in life may not be so different from our own as a species.

All of the characters are animals. As an actress, how do you work to find that sweet spot which blends animal characteristics with human expression? How do you find that truth in order to bring BARNACLE to life in the purest way?

DM: Well, regarding general physicality, it’s been a group effort in finding what are some mannerisms that are human, but that seem appropriate for the particular animal, at least in way of greetings and whatnot.

However I find the majority of it is in focusing on my journey, which is very human: to save my children. Add in that I’m a loving mother who has lived a long, long time and seen a lot in this world; and keeping in mind what my creature is (a lumbering, much older turtle who can go slow on land, fast in the water, and who is also very grounded and powerful). Also bringing in location and the lovely dialogue that has been provided gives me a way to go forward.

My boyfriend teased me that I was going to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for his first time seeing me on stage, and I laughed because that is so NOT what one will see in this production. We are seeing characters who are animals in a set of given circumstances within a parameter that we as humans can understand. And as we work on characters we realize more and more their lives and live their plights and their joys. I think people will be surprised and delighted at what they see.

This play is very multi-dynamic filled with music, dance, puppetry, projections and song. Do you find this taking you out of your comfort zone? 

DM: Indeed! I am very much out of my comfort zone, but that’s a good thing…it’s the only way one grows. I am singing in the play, which is new to me. Although I have sung once before in a play, it’s not something I am used to at all. I used to do choir in college, used to do back-up vocals playing out in NYC for a singer/songwriter, and I can do a mean karaoke when among friends. It’s actually very scary for me. People don’t realize this but I’m really shy about a lot. That’s one of those things.

Even though my uber dream is to rock out in a chick rock band.

Has this role brought up any discussions – either with other cast members or with friends and family – about the oil spill that were deeper, richer, or more heartfelt than what was sparked by the original incident? 

DM: Well, I won’t go into conversations, since they sometimes ended up with me yelling at someone using language not appropriate for this interview. ;) However, I can tell you that I have learned so much from doing this play.

As you know, I am an animal person and have always considered myself a champion for the environment. However, I have to be honest that originally the reality of all the marine and avian life that were affected by this crisis for a long while was more of a concept or idea. A concept that I saw but didn’t feel as deeply

I mean, do folks know that they set the oil on the water on fire to try to burn it up to “get rid of it” and hide their tracks? Think about that for a minute…any animals caught up in the water that might have actually survived suddenly just set on fire. If we put ourselves in their shoes…well, that must have been even more terrifying.

When doing research for the play, I started looking up the different animals with whom Barnacle comes into contact in the show. Of course I grew up with channel 13 animal specials and have seen these creatures, but as I began to really look into them, I felt for them more and more.

Then one day I was looking up the Sheepshead fish, of course kind of blown away by the teeth on the critter. But as I searched YouTube desperately trying to find imagery of the fish in its natural habitat, all I could find was one video after another of: how to cook it, how to catch it, how to kill it; lengthy videos of a fisherman holding the poor thing out of water to show to the camera the teeth and laughing, while the animal is suffering. Drowning on air, basically.

I was aghast at the casual cruelty and inability for me to even see what this animal looks like living it’s life because all that was available were vids of people killing it. That kind of hit home. I eat fish, but I eat them, I don’t torture them.

On top of it, in this production we are all actors who are animals – but they appear as humans in this play. They have the same needs and desires as we do – to live, to eat, to love, to endure. Being able to play it on that level also really made their plight all the more real for me.

What are some moments of the play that are your favorites to perform?

DM:  Well, I would tell you, but that would give it away…

Suffice to say that for the most part it is anything having to do with either being a devoted mother…or taking to task those who get in my way.

There’s an extraordinary team being brought together for this production. It’s clear that a lot of thought is going into the set design, the costumes, etc. Share with us some of your impressions of what we’ll see, and what kind of world this team has created for DARK WATER.

DM: I am truly amazed at the level of ingenuity and talent that has lent itself to this production. Some of the artists I have worked with before, some I have not, but I am thrilled to be a part of what is happening here. We have seen renderings, and I can’t wait to see what they bring for us to work with. The fact that we are being transported under the ocean as well as on land is just amazing. It’s going to be like a playground for the actors.

My costume is going to be great, too. I’m really just so excited, I can’t wait until we can get into tech and play.

Finally, Diánna - anyone who knows you knows you’re a big animal lover. For other animal lovers who may want to know, will this play leave them broken hearted, galvanized or uplifted?

DM:  Oh, man – I hope it’s a combination of all three. That’s what the play does for me.

I hope it’s a wake-up call to those who are desensitized to what the reality of this oil spill meant and means to the thousands of creatures who died slow and painful deaths, the animals that continue to be born with defects, and to the pollutants that effected the ecosystem, the plants, ocean, and humans as well.

It is an uplifting play that will break your heart while calling you to action. ;)

–

Thanks so much for hanging out with us, Diánna, and for giving us so much to think about!  For the rest of you, don’t forget to check out DARK WATER – info below.

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DARK WATER plays the following schedule through Saturday, March 29: 

Week 1:
Friday, March 14th at 8pm
Saturday, March 15th at 8pm
Sunday, March 16th at 2pm

Week 2:
OPENING NIGHT :: Monday, March 17th at 7pm
Thursday, March 20th at 8pm (followed by panel discussion)
Friday, March 21st at 8pm
Saturday, March 22nd at 8pm
Sunday, March 23rd at 2pm

Week 3:
Thursday, March 27th at 8pm
Friday, March 28th at 8pm
Saturday, March 29th at 8pm

Opening Night performance followed by short reception.

Advance tickets are $18 ($15 Students/$12 Seniors) and are available online or by calling 866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater ½ hour prior to performance.

Running Time: 90 min. One intermission.

The Theater at the 14th Street Y is located on 344 East 14th Street (at 1st Avenue)

By Subway: L to 1st Avenue
By Bus: M14 or M15 to 14th and 1st

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• Ever Seen A “NewBorn” Play? (Part 1)

There’s a reason that the second rule of Fight Club is the same as the first rule of Fight Club.  Because Tyler Durden (and by extension, author Chuck Palahniuk) understood that it’s human nature to break rules.  First rule of Fight Club – don’t talk about Fight Club.  Second Rule of Fight Club:  DO NOT talk about Fight Club.  So what did people do?

What does this have to do with August Schulenberg’s new play DEINDE?  Simple.  DEINDE – a sci-fi story of quantum biologists who use a  Dineural Entangled Intelligence Network DEvice [a "clumsy acronym, really, not even a real E at the end"] to “loop in” in order to juice their brains so that they can be smart enough to cure a virus that has been killing the world’s population – begins with four simple rules:

1. When using DEINDE do not think of anything other than work.
2. Do not keep the connection to DEINDE live outside of work.
3. Do not use DEINDE to communicate with each other.
4. Do not use DEINDE to accss the world online.

Sounds so easy to follow, right?  So did “Don’t talk about Fight Club” and we all know how that turned out.

The rest of the play is about how those looped in to DEINDE systematically break the rules as they find themselves becoming addicted to the unnameable and unbelievable power that overtakes them, courtesy of this strange and wonderful and terrifying new level of understanding.

The play itself begins with a chess match – a conventional one –  which then thematically unfolds throughout the entire play, on a much more subtle level.  In the first scene the game is being played on a recognizable board and the notion of checkmate has no hidden meaning or agenda. On one side of the board we have Cooper (David Ian Lee) who plays a very analytic and thoughtful game where he tries to see every available move before he proceeds. However he doesn’t have the intuitive leap to be able to move beyond what is in front of him in order to win the match.  On the other side of the board there is the older, wiser Malcolm (Ken Glickfeld) who is the embodiment of 95 years of trial and error.  This dictates not just how he plays a chess match, but how he moves through life.  While it seems that he is using intimidation and brio to distract his opponent in actuality he doesn’t need this slight of hand – he’s won the game anyway, based on his innate knowledge which comes from something that can’t be taught – something that can only be experienced.  By zeroing in on the fatal flaw of his opponent rather than relying on the limitations of his own body of knowledge, he is able to win the game.

DEINDE featuring Isaiah Tanenbaum, Ken Glickfeld, David Ian Lee, Rachael Hip-Flores, and Nitya Vidyasagar (Photo credit Justin Hoch)

DEINDE works with this theme throughout the play;  constantly pitting two sides against each other with much higher stakes, and a checkmate which implies not just the end of a game but perhaps the end of human progress.  The battle is between information vs. intuition, intelligence vs. maturity, wisdom vs. knowledge.  If you’re paying attention it’s easy to see how the moves will play out – but nonetheless thrilling to watch as they unfold.

There’s a lot of science here – this is, after all, a sci-fi tale, but it’s laid out in a way that is conversational, interactive and engaging.  If some of it goes over your head, well, that’s almost the meta-point.

DEINDE is what would happen if Charly and Sybil had a love child who evolved at the speed of light.  If you remember your high school reading assignments, Flowers For Algernon dealt with Charly (or Charlie), a learning-disabled man who is chosen by a team of scientists to boost his intelligence.  As Charly becomes self aware, and soon hyper-intelligent he becomes disenchanted both with his former self as well as those around him whom he once admired.  Similarly, Jenni and Mac – the young, eager (already brilliant) quantum biologists who undergo the DEINDE process find themselves on this same road – unable to return to the blandness of the existence they had before they looped in.  So they simply don’t.

As they further break the rules they become reliant upon the technology, even as they surpass it.  Those around them,  once considered mentors, colleagues and advisers are now considered troglodytes.  Speaking with them is like ”talking through tar” to Jenni and Mac who are on an accelerated path – always.  Further, as they break rule number 3 they find themselves justifying their own behavior to (and with) each other, as they now are “one person in two bodies” who still speak out loud to each other, but in unison because it “feels grounding, like we’re still human in some meaningful way”.  Further they decide they are there “not … to abolish the law but to fulfill Man’s destiny”.  Yes.  They are THAT GOOD. Or so they think.

But there are consequences for breaking the rules.  Not punishments.  Consequences.

Throughout the play in every way director Heather Cohn balances precision with chaos.  Will Lowry’s set and scenic design is awash in mathematical equations, written in a steady hand and proving the undeniable.  Electronic devices are clear lucite and allow for anything since they are beholden to nothing.  Martha Goode’s sound design brings scenes crackling to life with music that is classical, indicating moments which are very calculated and decisive, straightforward and blunt.  This makes the dischord which begins once the rules are broken all the more salient and pronounced – where things once were clear and ordered they are now explosive and uncontrollable.

Similarly the acting is in perfect balance; a composed and measured Nabanita (Nitya Vidyasagar) is in perfect counterbalance to the (at first) bouncy, youthful, Mac (Isaiah Tanenbaum) and Jenni (Rachael Hip-Flores) who move quickly to manic and frenzied.   Cooper and Malcolm do fantastic work in the middle ground, showing both compassion and tolerance in the face of a technology that is terrifying, wonderful and unquantifiable.

Another strong Flux Theatre Ensemble production which melds science with sentiment and allows the “what if”s to paint a picture of possibility.  Beautiful and meaningful – not to be missed.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Menders: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors – Good Menders Make Great Theatre
• The Seduction Of The 60s Lives On In “The Lesser Seductions Of History”
• 4 Cents Review: Blessings Abound At Jacob’s House
• Delving Into DARK WATER With Diánna Martin
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With initium/finis!

More often than not, when the question of “how do you want to die” comes up the answer is often “in my sleep” or “surrounded by my friends and family”.  The hope of most human beings is that, when it’s our turn to check out, we do so peacefully and with someone caring by our side.  In David Stallings’ The Stranger To Kindness (directed by Heather Cohn) now playing as part of The 2012 Frigid Festival we see what happens when neither choice is available.

Susan G. Bob (Lena) in The Stranger to Kindness (photo by David Stallings)

Nance won’t come to the door, and this has her long-time friend Lena (Susan G. Bob) in a bit of a panic.  In a burst of almost delusional optimism Lena has set up camp outside her friend’s door, choosing to believe that Nance is inside, fine, and just deciding to stay stubbornly silent.  Lena proceeds to serve up coffee and deal out a hand of cards which she slips under the door.  She incessantly chatters aloud to the empty corridor in the same manner one is urged to do at the bedside of coma victims.  ”Keep taking … they can hear every word you say,” we’ve all heard.  Lena seems to know that no matter where her friend is – on the other side of that door or somewhere else, she will hear her.

Soon enough Police Officer Greco (Antonio Minino), a beat cop, arrives at the scene.  He’s a bit winded, but ready to take charge of the situation.  Within moments he’s sized up what’s going on and his presence forces Lena to burst her own optimistic bubble.   “When you came we were playing cards” she tells the officer. “But not really …” he remarks hesitantly, not sure what state this woman is in.  “Of course not really,” she snaps back.  At this moment, we know that everything she’s done up until this moment has been to stave off the inevitable.

Officer Greco goes on to break down the door and confirm what we’ve suspected all along … and while to him this is just another day on the job he has the humanity to understand that, for Lena, this is a sad moment. When Nance’s son, Paul (Mick Hilgers), arrives he’s all but an interloper; conversation alludes to Paul’s inability to live up to be the type of son Nance held out hope for, and his gruff manner and haughty attitude immediately makes him the odd-man-out in this newly formed group.  Rather than stay and wait for the coroner and be subjected to further disapproval, Paul hurries off.

Antonio Miniño (Greco) and Susan G. Bob (Lena) in The Stranger to Kindness (photo by David Stallings)

As the young officer and the aging woman wait together a strange but sure bond forms; it is the bond formed by strangers who meet briefly and need to pass the time together. It is not unlike the types of relationships one makes with people at jury duty or at the airport when their flight is delayed: polite … at times revealing, but built on the scaffolding of proximity and meant to be quickly dismantled.  Lena knows this of course, yet welcomes the opportunity to tell old stories to fresh ears.  She is a woman who once enjoyed an active social life filled with dinner engagements but now finds herself staring at a phone book which holds more dark black marks than names; evidence of those who have died and  -however unintentionally-  abandoned her.

A brief reappearance by Paul takes the story and shakes it upside down like a purse.  In an effort to appear less monstrous Paul lets go a tirade of abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother, virtually devolving into a toddler demanding they see him as he sees himself.  The very fact that he uses the tragedy of his mother’s death as a platform to defend himself and bash her is monstrous in and of itself, however he is long past the ability to reason that out.   Is he justified?  Perhaps.  I once heard someone on a lowbrow talk-show say “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth.  And I’m telling the truth!” This unintentionally humorous adage is nonetheless very real, and Paul is a perfect example of this.

“Being abandoned is different than isolating yourself,” Paul insists.  From his perspective, his mother was manipulative (she would woo him to her home with false suicide threats) but ultimately wanted to be alone.  Several facts do back this up; she didn’t give out her keys and kept people at a distance despite knowing that her health was failing.  Lena was frustrated with this aspect of Nance as well, but had learned not to rock the boat.  Theirs was a comfortable friendship, one of rituals and repetition, one which relied heavily on knowing the moves by rote.  The less variation, the better.  Now, with no more rituals to follow, Nance must make the choice herself – move further into isolation and end up like her friend?  Or open herself to people and risk being abandoned?  By the end of the play there’s a bittersweet question mark hanging in the air.

Director Heather Cohn does a skillful job of preserving Stallings’ inherent ambiguity about the unseen Nance.   The scenes between Minino and Bob are both heartbreaking and charming; a sense of innocent wooing is present, the way a young boy will court his teacher.  And while Minino’s Greco is obviously the one in charge of the situation it is Nance and her years of life that put her at an advantage, however disillusioning that may be.

The Stranger To Kindness is both a very universal story as well as a deeply personal one; bittersweet and melancholy with threads of hope and promise woven throughout.   For so many, living alone is not a choice.  However, The Stranger To Kindness shows that being alone does not mean you must live in isolation.

~~~

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The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Related Posts:

• The Stranger To Kindness: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Missed Connections: An Exploration Into The Online Postings Of Desperate Romantics (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• The Extraordinary Fall of the Four-Legged Woman: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
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Five Questions. Five Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

The Stranger To Kindness

Company: D&A Productions
Directed by: Heather Cohn

Years of routine bind Lena and Nance, two lonely senior women from the Upper West Side. When Nance no longer answers her door, Lena takes it on herself to call the police and her friend’s family. What arrives is a strange dose of animosity and generousness from unlikely places.

Show Times:

• Thu 2/23 @ 6:00pm
• Sun 2/26 @ 2:30pm
• Wed 2/29 @ 9:00pm
• Thu 3/1 @ 7:30pm
• Sat 3/3 @ 4:00pm

Answers by Antonio Miniño

(Performer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Antonio: The title is a play on words from the famous final lines of A Streetcar Named Desire, “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers”. The characters in The Stranger to Kindness are all figuring out what kindness means, how to give it and how to accept it from others, especially strangers.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite five people, anyone from past and present, to see your FRIGID show – who would you invite and why?
Antonio:
My parents who have transitioned on, Oscar Wilde, Moisés Kaufman and Tennessee Williams. These are people that both David (the playwright) and I admire and one can only hope they would enjoy the work that we are creating.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made for your Art and was it worth it?
Antonio: I have to disclose that I am answering my own question and this just turned all sorts of weird. Definitely the biggest sacrifice I ever made was when I left my country, family and friends to study theatre in NYC. Well worth it. Would I have ever met the love of my life if I hadn’t? Probably not.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and, if so, can you share it?
Antonio: This is the second installment of The Stranger to Kindness and each rehearsal the character surprises me with something new. We have a new cast member this time and he is bringing out all these new layers to my “Greco”. Also because it is in a different space our amazing director Heather Cohn is restaging a lot of the piece. It’s like we started from square one but with our characters being good old friends instead of new ones. A real titillating experience.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Antonio: I hope the audience, especially the younger audience, learns to appreciate, respect, love and develop true compassion towards the senior citizens in their lives and their community… and to pick their brains… the stories they can tell!

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

THM Bonus Question – We’re serious this year!
In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

Antonio:I pick Fear Factor: Canine Edition and I throw some mean a## scissors at his cute dog!

DAMN, Antonio!   Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of Deaaaaath really brings out your competitive side!  Good thing I know for a fact you’re a dog lover — or else I’d be worried!!!

Your three rounds so far are:

Missed Connections who challenged you and threw Scissors. That’s a Tie!

Love in the time of Chlamydia who challenged everyone and threw Rock. That’s a Loss!

Fear Factor: Canine Edition who you challenge …  and they throw Paper. That’s a WIN!

Thanks The Stranger To Kindness for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2012 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges. You may win, you may not – who knows! This is how it works in the crazy world of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH!

For the rest of you don’t forget to check out The Stranger To Kindness!

~~~

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The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Related Posts:

• The Stranger To Kindness: City Of Strangers (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• LOL: The End. : 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
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Flux Theatre Ensemble’s production of Menders (written by Erin Browne and directed by Heather Cohn) currently playing at The Gym at Judson will catch you by surprise – but not all at once.  It will do so in subtle ways, often, and always differently than it did moments before.

First you will be drawn in by the simple aesthetics of the piece, which unfolds with a wisp of mystery but a promise of payoff in the end because, of course, that’s the way all good stories wrap up. Not necessarily with a good ending, or a bad ending, but a powerful ending which simply means one interlude has come to its natural conclusion.  Director Heather Cohn understands how to build the perfect scaffolding around this story, which is a story of stories — each story within it also coming to not a good ending, or a bad ending … simply a powerful one.

Next you will be moved by the poem Mending Wall by Robert Frost which is recited in part by each character in kind as they move about the stage and gather items, disappearing and reappearing from behind several substantial walls that dominate the set (beautifully and cleanly designed by Cory Rodriguez).  You’ll know what they’re reciting if you’ve read your program cover ahead of time — if not, it will come up soon enough and the elegance with which the symbolism is used is exquisite; each time lines from the verse are repeated they catch your ear differently, each iteration vibrating with a deeper meaning of what it means to keep people out, or in, or know precisely which it is that is being done.  I’m sure those who have already seen the show were quick (as I was) to sit with the poem and see it through fresh eyes.

Subsequently you will be captivated by the non-linear story telling, woven so perfectly by playwright Erin Browne, who has a talent for creating not abrupt scene changes nor cheap cliff hangers, but rather recuperative moments of contemplation between stories so that each journey has the necessary amount of time to settle with -and permeate through- the audience.

And ultimately you will be gripped by the strong performances of the actors who so deftly lay this story out to the audience in a way that has your heart beating along with theirs – in love, in fear, in sadness, in freedom, in hope … in despair.

Menders is a story about stories – real stories that have hidden gems of magic, magical stories that have heartbreaking elements of reality – all wrapped up in the bigger story of  what it means to follow your heart versus follow the rules and the consequences of doing either.

The play begins in a society not so different from — and yet completely different than — ours.  Some might say it is where we could be heading if we’re not careful.  It’s either a utopia or a dystopia, based on who you ask, but either way it’s a country that’s walled in, safe … patrolled by Menders.  Their job is to walk the wall and report any breaks or suspicious tracks.  After that their report goes to the Investigators who follow up and the Crew who do the actual mending.  When we first meet a Mender, Corey, (Sol Marina Crespo) she is pleading to an unseen panel of judges; she is broken … yet still believing in the cause, still true to her country.   She is patriotic, even as she has no idea why she is being held or questioned; still true to the system of government that she knows is ultimately right regardless of how wrongly she is being treated.

Sol Marina Crespo & Isaiah Tanenbaum in Menders (Photo credit: Justin Hoch)

A quick turn and time spins backwards; it is much earlier and Corey is in training, all energy and eagerness.  It’s the first day and she’s with her cousin Aimes (Isaiah Tanenbaum) who is also eager, but far more nervous about their new mission.  They are greeted by Drew (Matt Archambault), their trainer who – it seems – is on his last tour as he is about to pack it in for a desk job.  He blames the wear and tear all the walking has done to his feet, but subtle clues hint that there’s a deeper reason here.

Vivia Font & Mike Mihm in Menders (Photo credit: Justin Hoch)

Soon the patrolling starts and it turns out to be surprisingly … dull.  To pass the time Drew tells stories to Corey and Aimes … stories that were “something someone told him once” but Corey surmises “…it was stuff he’d learned as an Investigator – outside the Wall.”  One story is about a gentle, lonely farmer, Jeff (Mike Mihm) who finds a woman in his wheat-field one day – a woman, Lila (Vivia Font) who got there by the power of her own wings – beautiful, shimmering structures that are part of her and have brought her to him.  So entranced is he by her captivating beauty that he does whatever he can to ensure that she never leaves him – even the worst thing he could possibly do to her.  His actions wind up keeping her in a type of prison, by his side but refusing to speak to him. The story of Jeff and Lila is Aimes’ favorite.

The second story, also metered out in small parcels, is about a subway troubadour, Ash (Raushanah Simmons) who comes upon a woman one day, Tam (Ingrid Nordstrom), who never goes above ground during the day because she’s allergic to sunlight.  Ash, like Jeff in his story, is similarly captivated by this woman and boldly takes steps to win her over.  Tam, fragile, skittish, nervous, is not easily won.  Ash even goes so far as to gift Tam with a star she found in the park.  Eventually the two women come to some middle ground and the future looks bright.  This story is Corey’s favorite despite the fact that “every fiber of her being” knows that two women together in a “man/woman” way is wrong.  Like Aimes, she waits out the duller stories until “her” story is told by Drew.

In between telling these stories the action reverts back to the present day, where Corey is still defending herself in an unexplained arena.  She will often go on to explain more of the early days of training.

Criss-crossing through all these interlinked stories – some fabricated (or so we’re told), some re-envisioned, is the main theme of Menders: that every character there is a mender of one sort or another, for every one of them is broken somehow and needs to be repaired in a way that requires attention, love, respect, and diligence. Each of their stories – presented to the audience as either fiction or true account – illustrates that every one of us can be simultaneously broken and fixed — and a mender — which is perhaps why, in the end, there is no actual resolution to any of the stories – not even Corey’s.  She has been on trial for most of it, but perhaps her biggest accuser has been herself; and her biggest entreaty is not on her own behalf but on the behalf of all the broken – for all to be spared and given understanding.  Although, perhaps, even she doesn’t know that.

Matthew Archambault & Isaiah Tanenbaum in Menders (Photo credit: Justin Hoch)

Once again, Flux shows an expertise at assembling incredible actors to bring their productions to life; the team of menders (Archambault, Crespo and Tanenbaum) are the solid core of the piece with Ms. Crespo, as Corey, serving as the pinion that keeps the other stories in play.  She has the most difficult role, needing to convincingly portray fresh-faced and earnest one moment before becoming broken and discouraged the next; confused by the way her dream crumbled.  Matt Archambault (always a formidable Flux presence) as Drew is able to give a still-waters-run-deep snapshot of a man; his choices are subtle but compelling, allowing the audience to look for clues to his truth that he works hard to obscure.

Isaiah Tanenbaum (another Flux favorite) gives dimension to Aimes which elevates the character from a simple yes-man to a touching human being on the brink of discovering the power of secrets that had been heretofore hidden from him.

Vivia Font is downright beguiling as Lila – a woman who, inexplicably, has wings.  She is so believable, and so invested, that her attatchment to them is never questionable.  Moreover, as her character goes speechless for part of her scenes she does a beautiful job of emoting from a much deeper place; so fully expressing Lila’s pain, doubt, and regret with little more than a twitch of her mouth and a downcast eye.  For his part Mike Mihm is able to make Jeff endearing when all outward signs would have you dislike him for his thoughtless actions, and in the end when he pays the ultimate price he breaks your heart as he bears silent witness to his punishment.

Raushanah Simmons & Ingrid Nordstrom in Menders (Photo credit: Justin Hoch)

Raushanah Simmons as Ash and Ingrid Nordstrom as Tam prove to be the perfect yin/yang pair; where Ash is strong, forthright, determined, bold, and even a bit mischievious, Tam is anxious, unsure, quiet … yet curious.  Simmons and Nordstrom are a joy to watch as they peel back the layers of this tentative relationship, dancing a dance with awkward but insistent steps.  They not only have a terrific chemistry, but an estimable knack for getting you to root for their relationship to succeed.

When speaking with Artistic Director August Schulenburg a few weeks before seeing the show he advised “Menders is very ‘Flux’y”. I love that Flux Theatre has so strongly identified their brand that a play immediately resonates as “Fluxy”. And I love that the minute he said that to me I already had a notion of what to expect – and was excited about it.  Now that I’ve seen it not only do I agree – Fluxy! – but I’m once again awed by the talented ensemble that is Flux.  Simply put: this is a beautiful story – told beautifully.  Let it surprise and delight you … and perhaps even mend you too.

~~~

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Cast - The Lesser Seductions of History (Photo Credit: Tyler Griffin Hicks-Wright)

Watching the Flux Theatre Ensemble bring August Schulenburg’s “The Lesser Seductions of History” to life is like watching seasoned acrobats performing an intricate, balletic routine; one which -in order to succeed- relies on trust, timing, and blind leaps of faith … knowing that your fellow performers are exactly where they should be and will deftly handle the assist, even as they fully commit to the leap they are taking themselves. One miscalculation and the whole thing comes tumbling down, and then forget about the net. But no one here falls;  in fact, they soar. The thrill of watching this seasoned group of actors move between each other and react off one another with precisioned timing is what makes Lesser Seductions so … well … seductive.

Making History

In The Lesser Seductions of History (deftly and beautifully directed by Heather Cohn) Schulenburg takes a huge chance, and invites the audience to trust him right up front. The play starts the way all shows start (please silence your cell phones … the exits are there – and there) but the fourth wall is quickly broken as Candice Holdorf (playing a heighten version of Candice Holdorf before transforming into “One”) speaks directly to the audience about what’s about to happen. Acting as narrator, Sherpa and guru Ms. Holdorf also steps into supporting roles as necessary and moves the simultaneously unfolding plots forward. Before the action even begins she informs us that, like a good cup of espresso or a diamond, telling the story of 10 people during 10 years in just 2 hours will take pressure — and she’s here to provide that.

Scenes are literally layered one over the other around the performance area, sound effects are sometimes shared (creating a ripple that would be served less by a linear story telling, but is captivating here) props can meld seamlessly depending on who you’re focused on; what seems to be a benign counter top in a diner where two characters are conducting an interview becomes the foundation of the bridge another character is about to jump from. With little more than sound cues, lighting change ups and (of course) the actors themselves, you soon find the rhythm of the play and automatically learn where to focus your attention.

The Lesser Seductions of History begins in 1961 with newlyweds Marie (Tiffany Clementi) and her poet husband Issac (Jake Alexander) moving into their first apartment, sisters Lizzie (Christina Shipp) and Anisa (Ingrid Nordstrom) mourning the death of their father (Lizzie’s the screw-up, Anisa’s the scientist), Tegan (Kelly O’Donnell) passing the time in a hotel room trying to not listen to Nixon on TV, Issac’s timid cousin, art student Lee (Isaiah Tanenbaum) taking it all in and transforming it into visual representation, brothers Bobby (Jason Paradine) and Barry (Matthew Archambault) having a better than average catch, since Barry’s good enough to turn pro, and finally, siblings George (Michael Davis) and Martha (Raushanah Simmons) driving cross country. They’re all on the brink — of change, of new horizons, of hope, of hopelessness, of boredom, of discovery — but whatever drives them, they’re eager to get to the next phase. We can see the idealism in some, the despair in others, and there isn’t a character who doesn’t speak to a part of our own ids and egos and make us say “yes … I’ve been there“.

Michael Davis, Candice Holdorf (Photo Credit: Tyler Griffin Hicks-Wright)

Soon enough the “ah-ha” moments start; for each person it’s different and despite the fact that all the characters are realated to each other or joined through fate or friendship, proximity does little to spin them off in the same direction. In fact, they each get spun off in very different directions. Some find their answer in politics, civic affairs and leadership. Others find their answer in art, drugs, sex and music. They experiment, both with their faith as well as their ideas, their sexuality, and their limits. Over a backdrop of events like the dawning of The Age of Aquarius, the inauguration and subsequent assassination of JFK as well as RFK, the Vietnam war, Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, the poetry of Ginsberg and Pulitzer Prize winner Louis Simpson, as well as the more mainstream and musical rhymes of the Beatles, The Doors and The Beach Boys … amid acid trips and riots, Black Panthers and Woodstock, and culminating with the landing on the moon these ten lives have ten journeys that are deeply personal, yet strikingly universal.   To favor one story over another is almost impossible, so interwoven are they, and so necessary to each other’s progression. But without a doubt some of my personal favorite moments lay with the character of Martha (Raushanah Simmons) who starts off as a “good christian woman” who blanches at her brother George’s use of “cuss words” and “sex talk” and moves slowly through stages of trauma, submission and grief to emerge fiercely from the other side, a strong Black Panther who still does the Lord’s work, but with a different fire in her soul.  Schulenburg’s script allows everyone to have their shining moment, and touching scenes of quiet beauty are sprinkled throughout this story like stars.  At different moments I found my heart breaking, at other times – exalting.  And during the rest I simply reveled in the birth of change.

With amazing sound design by Asa Wember who gives life to every hiss and pop as the invisible needle hits the non-existent record and Laren Parrish’s lighting design that transforms the stage into 47 different places, Ms. Cohen’s direction is able to sparkle amid nothing more than a few chairs, tables, and benches.

To be too young to remember the sixties is unfortunate. But to miss August Schulenburg’s The Lesser Seductions of History – which brings it to life again – would be a shame.   So go and be part of history. You’ve got a part in this too … and as Candice Holdorf’s narrator would point out … doesn’t it feel good to be part of something that’s bigger than yourself?

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